Chương 5
“No.”
Ethan had never heard his mother answer her husband that way.
Grant’s gaze shifted toward Daniel.
“Take her home.”
Daniel did not move.
Grant looked at him longer.
“You seem confused about your employment.”
“No, sir.”
“Then do what I told you.”
Daniel glanced at Margaret.
“No.”
The room became quiet again.
Grant looked almost bored.
“Interesting.”
He reached into his coat.
Ethan’s body reacted before his mind did. He moved toward the boys.
Grant stopped.
Then slowly removed his phone.
The gesture embarrassed Ethan.
Grant noticed that too.
“I called family counsel,” he said. “The children cannot simply leave with you. Their mother is dead. Their legal guardianship is unclear. A private paternity report of questionable provenance does not change that.”
For the first time that night, Grant was saying something that sounded practically true.
Ethan hated him for it.
A social worker had already mentioned the same thing.
The boys were not luggage.
Biology did not automatically erase procedures.
Grant continued.
“I have arranged for the family office to provide temporary housing, counsel, and security while this is sorted out.”
“No,” Ethan said.
“You have no idea what these children need.”
“Neither do you.”
“I know they need stability.”
Noah spoke quietly.
“We have an apartment.”
Grant looked at him.
“Of course you do.”
“Mom paid rent.”
“I’m sure she did.”
The condescension was almost invisible.
Noah heard it anyway.
His mouth tightened in the same way Ethan’s did.
Ethan felt a sudden, irrational pride so strong it nearly made him sick.
Vanessa said, “Their home is probably where they should go, then.”
Grant gave her a thin smile.
“Assuming it is safe.”
Ethan stared at him.
“What does that mean?”
“It means Claire came to Chicago after seven years in hiding and died the same night. If you believe I’m a threat, then surely you should also believe her apartment may not be secure.”
The logic was sound.
That frightened Ethan too.
Grant knew exactly which fear to feed.
A knock came at the door.
The social worker entered with two uniformed police officers.
Grant looked at Ethan.
“Now,” he said quietly, “perhaps the adults can stop improvising.”
The next three hours were mostly paperwork.
That surprised Ethan.
He had expected danger to feel like pursuit, confrontation, locked doors.
Instead it felt like forms.
Names.
Dates.
Temporary placements.
A detective named Maria Alvarez asked Ethan when he had last spoken to Claire. He told her eight years ago and watched her try not to react.
A second detective collected Claire’s letter in a plastic evidence sleeve after photographing it in Ethan’s hands.
Ethan resisted giving it up.
Alvarez noticed.
“You’ll get a receipt.”
“I don’t care about a receipt.”
“I know.”
“That’s all I have from her.”
“No,” Alvarez said.
She glanced toward the twins.
“It isn’t.”
That shut him up.
Because the paternity report did not establish legal parentage by itself, the hospital contacted child services. Because there was credible reason to believe Ethan might be the biological father and no evidence he posed a danger, the children were allowed to remain with him at the hospital while emergency arrangements were reviewed.
Grant’s lawyers attempted to involve themselves.
Ethan’s lawyers did too.
Vanessa finally snapped.
“There are two boys in the next room whose mother died tonight. Can everybody stop treating this like a merger?”
No one answered.
At four in the morning, Noah fell asleep with his head on Liam’s shoulder.
Liam stayed awake.
Ethan sat opposite them.
Vanessa had gone to find coffee.
Margaret had disappeared with Detective Alvarez.
Grant had left after being asked, twice, to stop contacting hospital administrators about the placement process.
Daniel remained outside the room.
Liam looked at Ethan.
“Are you really our dad?”
Ethan rubbed both hands over his face.
“I think so.”
“The paper says so.”
“The paper says so.”
“Grandma Margaret said so.”
Ethan looked toward the door.
“Yes.”
Liam picked at the corner of a cracker wrapper.
“Mom said you didn’t know.”
“I didn’t.”
“She said that part a lot.”
“What part?”
“That you didn’t know.”
Ethan leaned forward.
“Why?”
Liam shrugged.
“She said if we ever met you, we weren’t allowed to be mad at you for not coming.”
The words found a place in Ethan that the rest of the night had somehow missed.
He looked down at his hands.
Liam continued picking at the wrapper.
“She said adults can be stupid when they’re scared.”
Ethan gave a quiet laugh.
“That sounds like Claire.”
“You knew her?”
“Yes.”
“What was she like before us?”
Ethan looked at the sleeping boy beside him.
Noah’s mouth was slightly open.
He had one fist tucked against his chest.
“I don’t know if I knew her before you.”
Liam frowned.
“You did.”
“I mean maybe she was already thinking about you. Maybe she knew you were coming.”
“Oh.”
Ethan thought of San Diego.
Claire refusing wine.
Claire staring at him while he complained about his father.
Claire asking whether he ever imagined leaving Cole Meridian.
He had said he would not run away just because Grant was difficult.
She had looked out toward the restaurant patio and said, “Some people call it leaving.”
He had forgotten that conversation.
Or decided it did not matter.
Now it came back with teeth.
Vanessa returned carrying three coffees and two hot chocolates.
She set one chocolate in front of Liam.
He touched the cup.
“It’s hot.”
“That’s the general tragedy of hot chocolate,” Vanessa said.
Liam looked at her for a second.
Then, unexpectedly, smiled.
Vanessa smiled back.
Ethan watched her sit.
There had been a time, perhaps yesterday, when he could read most of Vanessa’s moods from the way she placed her handbag on a chair.
Now he had no idea what she was thinking.
He waited until Liam became interested in peeling the cardboard sleeve off his cup.
Then he said quietly, “You should go home.”
Vanessa looked at him.
“Is that what you want?”
May you like
“No.”
“Then don’t say things because you think they’re noble.”
